Machine for cutting woven or knitted fabrics.



No. 784,086- PATENTED MAR. 7,\1905 J. H. VINCENT.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING WOVEN OR KNITTED FABRICS.

APPLIOMION FILED 113044. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

J. H. VINCENT.

MACHINEI'OR' CUTTING WOVEN 0R KNITTED FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.14. 1904.

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.N @wml S LQ /K MMC/LAN cured a frame 27, preferably supported at an incline and capable of being adjusted in and out by means of a bolt-andslot connection 28. This frame has a plurality of transverse bars 29, between which the fabric is guided preliminary to being fed into the machine to remove all wrinkles or undulations therefrom. This frame is supported at each end by a bar 30. On the front end of the machine is mounted a similar set of evening-bars 31, throug'h which the fabric is twisted in and out or under and over alternately, as shown in Fig. 1. From these evening-bars the fabric extends down and around a tension-roller 32, which is journaled in bearings 33. On each end of this tension-roll is a pulley-wheel 34, on which is a brake-strap 35, that connects with one end of a coil-spring 36, the other end of the spring being attached to a threaded bolt 37, let into a lug 38 on the side of the frame. By screwing a nut on the bolt and against the lug the tension on the spring and pressure of the brake-strap upon the pulley may be regulated, and thus the roller 32 is restrained against free rotation in its bearings, preventing the fabric from sagging and maintainingit in frictional contact with the periphery of the.

tatable, and the fabric is disposed alternately above and below the same, so as to drag therearound, there preferably being a rod upon each side ofthe cutters and arranged so as to hold the fabric in a true horizontal position where the cut is made, as shown in Fig. 2, the fabric preferably passing beneath the rods opposite the cutters and the cutters preferably rotating in a direction to make an upward cut, so that the tendency of the cutters to force the fabric up will be overcome by these guide-rods 40 upon each side of the cutter-shaft. In front and behind the cutters and beyond the guide-rods last mentioned are journaled two rollers 43, over which the fabric passes as it is fed to and from the cutters, these rollers being mounted in vertically-adjustable bearings 44 at each side of the frame.

45 designates the take-up arbor, which is preferably detachably mounted in its bearings at the rear end of the frame, so as to permit the cut strips to be slid off the same.

1n order to prevent the cut 4edges of the strips from overlapping as they are wound upon the take-up arbor, a ,frame 46, pivoted in the main framevat 47, is provided with a plurality of pins 48, which have knife-edges that project between the cut edges of the strips, and in order to prevent this frame from bearing too hard upon the roll and retarding the rotation thereof it is counterbalanced by weights 49, attached to a eXible connection 50, which is supported upon a pulley 51, with one end attached to a cross-rod 52 of the frame 46. Upon each side of the cuttershaft, near each end of the frame, are journaled a pair of feed-rollers 53, the peripheries of which are fluted. Each pair of fluted rollers is arranged in vertical alinement, and the bearing of the upper roll of each pair may be adjusted vertically by means of a nut 54, that screws upon a threaded shan i 55 of the bearing, and thus the rollers may be brought into and out of contact with each other; but during the operation of the machine it is preferable to have the fiuted peripheries in terlock and the fabric pass therebetween, so as to insure against any possible vpull or stretch of the latter as it is fed to and delivered from the cutters. On the arbor of the lower roll of each pair of rollers is a wormgear 56, that meshes with a frictional worm 57, mounted on the common driving-shaft 23, that extends longitudinally of the frame on one side thereof. The end of the take-up arbor is also provided with a similar wormgear 56, which meshes with a similar worm upon the end of the drive-shaft 23. This friction worm-gear for the feed-rollers and the take-up arbor is illustrated in detail in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, in which the shaft 23 is provided with a coil-spring 58, confined between the bearing-blocks 24 and aball-bearing cup 59, that fits over the ball-bearing cone 6() on the worm-sleeve 57. The worm-sleeve 57 is loose upon the shaft 23, but is held from free rotation -thereon by means of a friction-disk 61, which is screwed on the shaft 23 and bears against the end of the worm-sleeve, there being' a jamnut 62 to hold it in frictional engagement with the end of the sleeve. The wormgear 56 is loosely mounted on the arbor 63 of the lower feedroll and has on its outer face a ratchet 64. with which a ratchet-nut 65 engages. The ratchet-nut 65 is normally keyed to the arbor of the feed-roll by means of a feather 66, and therefore rotates with the said arbor, which is threaded at its outer end to receive a jam-nut 67. A coil-spring 68, 1o-

f cated between the main frame 1 and the wormgear 56, holds the latter in engagement with the ratchet-nut 65, and thus when the wormsleeve 57 is rotated it will in turn rotate the worm-gear 56, and through the medium of the ratchet-nut 65, which is locked to the gear, the lower iuted feed-roll will be also rotated to feed the material through the machine.

The operation may be stated as follows: The belt on the pulley 12 of the power-shaft 14 drives said shaft, which in turn drives the cutter-shaft 20 and the counter-shaft 18 IOC IOS

througli the belt connections 17 and 16, as beforev stated. The shaft 23 is continuously driven from the counter-shaft 18 through the bevel-gearing 25and 26, and through themedium of the worm-gearing the fluted feedrollers 53 53 and the take-u p arbor 45 are rotated to feed the material through the machine to wind the cut strips upon the take-up arbor. ln adjusting the material around the several rollers and guide-bars it may be necessary to prevent the feed-rollers and the take-up arbor from being' rotated, and this may be accomplished by loosening the jam-11111567 on the end of the arbor 63 and unclutching the clutchnut 65 from the loose worm-gear 56, which will then freely rotate upon the arbor of the feed-rolls without imparting motion to the latter or to the take-up arbor. After the material has been adjusted iu the machine and the proper cut determined by the adjustment of the cutter the clutch-nut 65 may then be engaged with the ratchet-face of the wormgears and the material will be fed and wound upon the take-up arbor. As the feed of the material must be uniform, so as to prevent the fabric from stretching or sagging' and prevent the take-up roll from stretching the material as it increases in diameter, the friction worm-gearing on the shaft 23 is so adjusted as to permit thc worm-sleeve to slide loosely l around the shaft 23 and impart a variable rotation to the take-up arbor as the roller thereon increases in diameter. The same action will take place with respect to the feed-rollers if the shaft 23 be rotated faster than the material is wound upon the take-up roll, and thus a uniform tension is maintained on the fabric. The fluted surfaces of the feed-rolls also act to positively feed the material through the machine and prevent the latter slipping around the feed-rollers.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

l. ln a machine of the class described, a rotating cutter-shaft provided with a plurality of rotary cutters, a plurality of guide-rods arranged in the path of the material, adjustable guide-blocks upon the guide-rods, guiderollers upon each side of the cutter-shaft, a tension-roller journaled near the front end of the machincand provided with a brake, a pair of fiuted feed-rollers journaled near each end of the machine upon opposite sides of the cutters, a take-up arbor journaled in the rear end of the machine, a continuously-rotated shaft journaled at one side of the machine, and friction worm-gearing connecting the said shaft with the feed-rollers and with the take-up arbor, substantially as specified.

2. 1n a machine of the class described, a frame having' a plurality of guide-rollers mounted therein, a cutter-shaft having a plurality of adjustable cutters thereon, a pair of fluted feed-rollers journaled upon each side of the cutter-shaft, a take-up arbor journaled near the rear end of the machine, a common driving-shaft for the feed-rollers and take-up arbor, and means associated with the common driving-shaft and the feed-rollers and take-up arbor for imparting a variable speed to the latter.

3. 1n a machine of the class described, the combination with a frame having a cuttershaft provided with a plurality of rotary cntters, and a plurality of guide-rods mounted in the frame in the path of the fabric, of a pair of feed-rollers mounted in the front and in the rear of the cutters, a take-up arbor journaled in the frame, a common driving-shaft 23 journaled at one side of the machine and having worm -sleeves frictionally mounted thereon, a worm-gear loose upon the arbor of the feed-rollers and upon the take-np arbor, and a clutch upon said arbors to clutch the worm-wheel to its arbor, substantially as specified.

4. Ifn a machine of the class described, a frame having a plurality of guide-rods and guide-rollers mounted therein in the path of the fabric and around which the fabric is passed, a take-up arbor journaled in the end of the machine, a cutter-shaft havinga plurality of rotary cutters thereon, a pair of feed-rollers journaled upon each side of the cuttershaft, a tension-roller journaled near the front of the machine and provided with a frictionbrake, a continuously-driven shaft, means for imparting a variable speed to the feed-rollers and the take-up arbor, comprising a wormsleeve loosely mounted on the continuouslydriven shaft, a friction-disk upon the shaft in engagement with one end of the worm-sleeve, a spring on the shaft to hold the worm-sleeve in frietional engagement with the frictiondisk, a worm-wheel loosely mounted upon the arbors of the feed-rollers and the take-up arbor, a clutch-nut on said arbors in engagement with the worm-wheel, and a spring to hold the Worm-Wheel in engagement with the clutch-nut, substantially as specified.

J AMES H. VINCEL Witnesses:

RUDOLPH O. HomvALD,

HENRY CHENEY.

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